Jagged Edge exclusive premiere

Click the photo to watch the exclusive premiere of the new video "put a little umph in it" by Jagged Edge

Young, Rich, and Dangerous

Producer extraordinaire Jermaine Dupri, 35, can add one more title to his resume: author. The young mogul has written his autobiography which covers an amazing career from his teenage years as a dancer for Whodini to his current position as president of Island/Def Jam Urban.

Young, Rich, and Dangerous is more than just a memoir by Jermaine Dupri, one of this generation's most interesting and gifted young producers and songwriters. It's a road map for the hundreds of thousands of young kids who are dreaming the new American Dream of making it in the music business through rapping or owning their own independent record label.

Nobody is more qualified to hold forth on the subject than Dupri but he will recount in colorful anecdotes about life in the studio with the likes of Usher, Lil'Jon, Bow Wow and Mariah Carey.

He'll dish on some of his old rivalries and chronicle some of his closest relationships both personal and professional including his relationship with Janet Jackson.

The book will also trace Dupri's event-packed life with photographs of him behind the scenes with celebrities at parties and at award shows.

Rick Ross..."Trilla"

Slip-N-Slide Records recording artist Rick Ross has announced the released date of his sophomore album, titled Trilla.

Trilla, which is the follow up to Ross' debut Port of Miami, will hit stores on November. 11.

Port of Miami, which hit stores in August of 2006, moved 187,000 copies its first week in stores and topped hit # 1 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart, as well as the Top Rap Albums and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.

The album produced hits like "Hustlin'," "Boss," "Push It" and others.

The announcement comes on the heels of Slip-N-Slide's latest success, Fort Meyers rapper Plies, whose album The Real Testament debuted at #2 on this week's Billboard Top 200 chart.

“Slip-N-Slide Records has an amazing history with Trina, Trick Daddy, Rick Ross, Duece Poppi, Dirtbag and now Plies that stands firmly on tradition, values and standards," Slip-N-Slide Records' CEO Ted Lucas said. "We want to take our enormous history and make a bigger impact for years to come.”

Lucas also revealed that Slip-N-Slide Records is working on expanding into the R&B and Rock genres of music.

Slip-N-Slide Records is preparing releases by Florida rappers Trina, Trick Daddy and Dirt Bag in 2008.

Hi-Teknology gets release date

Cincinnati producer Hi-Tek has announced the release date of the third installment of his Hi-Teknology series of albums.

Hi-Teknology 3: Underground, is slated to hit stores on November 20.

While the guests on the album have not been revealed, like the two previous Hi-Teknology albums, fans of Hi-Tek's production can look forward to the producer pushing his creative boundaries, with guest appearances by a number of notable MC's.

Previous Hi-Teknology albums have featured artists like Q-Tip, Kurupt, Talib Kweli, Bun B, Nas, J. Dilla, Common, Buckshot, Slum Village and others.

"I am always advancing myself, musically and technically by listening to other genres of music, not just hip-hop and R&B," Hi-Tek said in a recent interview.

In addition to working with 50 Cent, The Game, Busta Rhymes and contributing production to Dr. Dre's highly anticipated opus Detox, Hi-Tek is staying busy in the world of film.

"I am doing the sound score of a movie. It’s the documentary based on the life of Leroy Antonio Nicky Barnes," Hi-Tek said of the unnamed project.

Beyonce's House Of Dereon

Click photo to shop at Beyonce's House Of Dereon

Collectible Kimora Lee Barbie

Kimora Lee Simmons Barbie® doll epitomizes the Baby Phat founder and designer’s hip, street-glam flair! Created under the direction of Kimora Lee Simmons, a former model turned fashion/lifestyle entrepreneur, this dark-haired diva is dressed in a fabulous hot pink outfit, topped with a full-length faux chinchilla coat.

Upping the cool quotient are bold, over-the-top accessories like pink thigh-high boots, chunky earrings and a designer bag.

But the cutest accessory of all? Kimora’s adorable little dog, Zoe!

Snatched Chain linked to 50

Police arrested a man who claimed to be affiliated with 50 Cent, after shots were fired during an argument over a chain given to him by the rapper.

The Hartford police arrested Dwayne McKenzie, 26, early Friday morning in Hartford for firing a 40 caliber Glock during a dispute with 25-year-old Adolfo Yepez.

McKenzie told officers that he argued with Yepez, who pushed him and stole his platinum chain with diamonds, which was valued at $100,000.

No injuries were reported during the incident, which occurred at 1:50 a.m.

McKenzie, who told authorities that he lives at 50 Cent’s mansion in Farmington, is charged with one count of unlawful discharge of a fire arm and first-degree reckless endangerment.

According to police spokeswoman Nancy Mulroy, officers were called to the scene of the incident by people who saw McKenzie fire the Glock among a crowd of 10 to 20 people.

"We are not going to tolerate people, whoever they are, firing any kind of fire arm randomly out in the city of Hartford," Mulroy told the Courant. "It was fortunate no one was injured."

Once they arrived, authorities subdued McKenzie and found the gun in his front pants pocket. Although McKenzie, who had a permit for the weapon, said he didn’t fire the gun, Mulroy stated that the police checked the weapon and noticed it was missing three rounds.

Yepez told police that McKenzie pulled out a gun and waved it in the air during the argument and added that he heard a blast as he started running.

Yepez soon ran into a police sergeant, who took him into custody and recovered the chain, Mulroy said.

McKenzie’s platinum chain and the Glock are at police headquarters, according to the Courant.

Yepez is charged with third-degree robbery. Both men are currently free on bond.

They are scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Hartford on Aug. 14, police said.

New Era opens in the "A"

Ludacris and Disturbing Tha Peace are among the celebrities and athletes gathering to celebrate the grand opening of the New Era Flagship store in Atlanta, Georgia at a private ceremony.

The New Era Atlanta Flagship Store (New Era ATL) is located in the heart of the city's trendy fashion area and will feature a broad selection of headwear including ATL exclusives, and crossover caps.

The setup of New Era ATL is meant to look like a baseball diamond with the register as "home plate." It will also feature actual stadiums seats showcased on the wall above the Authentic Collection of on-field caps to add to the feel.

New Era also has four other locations in New York City, Buffalo, London and Toronto.

The New Era Atlanta Flagship Store is located at 117 Luckie Street in Atlanta, GA.

Common hits #1

Common has landed his first #1 album of his career with the release of his 7th and latest album, Finding Forever.

The album, which was released via Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music, moved 155,329 copies during its first week in stores, besting his previous chart ranking, which was #2 with 2005's album BE.

Finding Forever beat Korn's latest album Untitled, which will land at #2 with over 123,000 units sold.

According to Common, the success of Finding Forever, which also hit #1 on iTunes, is due to the honest of the album's lyrical content.

"I always wanted to be that voice for all people,” Common said in a statement about the album. “If I tell you a story about some spacey astrology thing that's because I’ve experienced it or I’ve been next to somebody who experienced it, if I tell you a story about selling some dope or getting robbed or shot that’s because I’m next to the person that knows the person it happened to… I rap from a truthful place.”

Common is currently preparing to film a video for the single “Drivin’ Me Wild,” which features Lily Allen.

Producer Kanye West will also make a cameo appearance in the video, which is being shot this month.

In related news, Common is preparing to release his third book, titled M.E. (Mixed Emotions).

The rapper's first book, The Mirror and Me, teaches lessons about life, the human spirit and human nature, while his second book, I Like You, But I Love Me was nominated for a NAACP Image Award.
M.E. (Mixed Emotions) is due for release later this year.

Jay Z...Best dressed in the world?

Esquire magazine just released its list for the best Dressed Men in the World for 2007. The Esquire best Dressed Men in the World list of 2007: 1: Tom Brady, football player 2: Jay-Z, record exec, musician 3: Daniel Craig, actor 4: Barack Obama, U.S. senator, presidential candidate 5: Andr Balazs, hotelier...Miami Heat basketball player, Dwyane Wade the #14 spot on the list and Tony Parker NBA Playoff MVP at #23.

Kim Porter sings

Singin' like a songbird, Kim Porter has gone on the record in a tell all Interview about her relationship with Sean "Diddy" Combs. Did she?! She tweets on Sienna Miller, Jennifer Lopez and cheating allegations against her Bad Boy CEO ex.

On Diddy: "I'd been in an on-again, off-again relationship with Mr. Combs for about 10 years, and it came to a point where it was time for me to move on with my life. I had invested a lot of time in that relationship, and it wasn't going where it should have been going. So it was time to [end it]. In a relationship, it's important that the people are on the same page at the same time. And we weren't on the same page."

On His Alleged Cheating: "I will never sit here and say that Puffy -- or any man -- is 100 percent faithful. I just don't believe it. Some of you are, but I'm not going to sit here and say that I didn't believe that he cheated on me. I would never say that. I'm aware that he's cheated."

And on J.Lo's relationship with Diddy: "It was an embarrassment. I never thought it was real. I knew what was going on with him. Despite what you see in print and when the cameras are flashing, what's going on in someone's heart may be totally different. He was still in love with me. I never looked at their relationship as serious.

When asked if Sienna Miller played a part in her break up, Porter states: "They're just friends. That wasn't the cause."

Brandy...Prosecutors at a stand still

The Los Angeles City Attorney's office are split over whether to prosecute Brandy for a fatal car accident last December.

Brandy's Range Rover rear-ended a car, triggering a multi-car accident, which resulted in the death of a 38-year-old woman. One source says there was a "conflict" in the City Attorney's office over whether Brandy should be prosecuted at all. The charge on the table, we're told, is misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter.

We're told prosecutors are waiting on technical data that will measure the speed of Brandy's vehicle on impact. The data will help prosecutors determine if the singer tried to brake before impact. The tests are being conducted by a London based firm.

When the results are returned, the City Attorney will make a decision. One source says, "At this point it could go either way."